NEWSFLASH

About Hunger

Food Insecurity In our Community

In our community, there is a 17.9% food insecurity rate.* That means that a number of our neighbors in Charlottesville and Albemarle County are not sure if there will be food on their kids’ plates tonight. Do the numbers shown below surprise you? Get involved and together, we can make a difference!

Food Insecurity USDA Report

Most U.S. households with children have consistent, dependable access to adequate food for active, healthy living for both adults and children. These are food secure households.

When access to food in NOT consistent and dependable, a household is classified as food insecure. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released this report in May 2013. The authors analyzed the two most recent years of survey research on the topic of food insecurity in households with children. They found:

21% of households with children were food insecure at some point in 2011...that's nearly double the level of food insecurity of homes without children (12%).

Food security is especially important for children because their nutrition affects not only their current health, but also their physical, mental, and social development.

While food insecurity is less prevalent in Virginia than most states, one in 16 homes with children were classified as food insecure.

Source: Coleman-Jensen, Alisha, William McFall and Mark Nord. Food Insecurity in Households With Children: Prevalence, Severity, and Household Characteristics, 2010-11, EIB-113, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, May 2013.